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Trying to Understand Rupert

Saturday, 13 May, 2006

There was shock and horror in American Republic ranks when Rupert Murdoch let it be known he was putting on a fund raiser for Hillary Clinton. It even became the lead item on the prominent conservative website Human Events Online.

As if it was not bad enough for Murdoch to consort with enemy number one, his apparent desertion from the right wing cause occurred in the week he was appearing at the National Press Club in Washington to receive the Phillips Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award for devotion to good conservative principles. Tom Phillips, chairman of the foundation, is also chairman of Eagle Publishing, parent company of Human Events.

In his NPC speech Murdoch encouraged eight young journalist recipients of the foundation's journalism fellowship awards to "strive to be objective," telling them that Fox News' motto of "We report, you decide," was what has made it the No. 1 cable news for 52 straight months.

"The truth is out there," Murdoch said. "Go find it."

Murdoch cited as an example the reporting of Fox News' Eric Shawn and the Wall Street Journal's Claudia Rosett on the United Nations oil-for-food scandal. He said it represented stellar journalism.

The News boss used the opportunity to jab other TV networks, saying Fox News has never had to fire an anchor or producer (unlike CBS News) and hasn't retracted a major story in 10 years.

That was the kind of thing Murdoch's audience wanted to hear but they were looking as well for an explanation of why he was raising funds for Hillary Clinton.

When the subject was not mentioned, Human Events editor Robert B.Bluey took Murdoch's advice and went to find out why. Bluey, however, was kept away from the guest of honour by organisers eager to avoid an unseemly scene.

Bluey went home to write on his website about being upset at being denied the opportunity to question Murdoch. The next morning a News Corp press officer contacted him with an invitation Bluey and invite him to put his Hillary questions during a telephone briefing by Murdoch on the company's quarterly results.

Bluey did just that and asked Murdoch what conservatives are to make of his willingness to support the liberal New York senator who has voted against tax cuts, supports partial-birth abortion and opposed Supreme Court Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito. Murdoch answered:

“It will be pretty modest support. It’s giving the opportunity to people in our office who want to join us at a breakfast.

“We think that she’s been effective on state issues and local issues here in a New York. She’s been an effective and good senator. And if people want to come to breakfast for $1,000, they’re welcome. It’s no big deal. It’s not a million-dollar raising. It’s got nothing to do with anything other than her Senate re-election.”

If you think the tone of the great man's voice will help you interpret what those words mean you can listen to Murdoch's response in Windows Media and MP3 formats.

My own interpretation is that Rupert Murdoch knows it is better for a business that depends a great deal on decisions made by politicians to support winners rather than losers. And not only is Hillary Clinton long odds-on to be re-elected later this year to her Senate seat from New York, her Democratic Party is poised to be far more influential in the Congress after November.

Supporting her is another example of the pragmatism that has seen Murdoch switch political support from side to side over the years in all the countries where he operates.

Whether the Murdoch empire will support Senator Clinton if she runs for President in two years time will depend entirely on the mood of the country at that time. If Hillary Clinton looks like a winner the News Corp's boss will be with her.

In the mean time, with his insurance policy in place, Murdoch will do his best to be a good and loyal supporter of the Republicans who still have the numbers in Washington .